Decisions Of Pink
by Ghostwriter
Summary: HISB Kimberly has a tough decision to make.
1. The Offer

DECISIONS OF PINK

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

This is my own take on these episodes and have been condensed into one ep. Whether or not Kimberly decides to leave, well, you'll just have to read to find out. Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own the subplots and characters you don't recognize. Reference to a conversation in "The Soul Stealer". I use a line from the actual ep.

In a secret chamber in the Command Center, Alpha and Zordon were working furiously.

"How are the final touches for the Shark Cycles coming, Alpha?" Zordon questioned.

"Very well, Zordon. The Rangers will be so pleased and surprised," Alpha answered. Zordon nodded. That they would. And the motorcycles would be a great addition to the Rangers' arsenal. Soon, Alpha was done and the two went back to the Command Center. Meanwhile, in Ernie's Gym And Juice Bar, Justin, Hilary, Chris, Tina, Zane, Richie, and Curtis sat a table talking while Jason and Tommy were sparring on one side of the gym while Rocky and Adam sparred on the other side of the gym. While this was going on, Katherine, Zack, and Aisha were on the wait machines while Trini and Billy were doing a kata near where Jason and Tommy were sparring while Kimberly was working on the balancing beam. As he and Jason continued to spar, Tommy kept a subtle eye on Kimberly. Catching this, Jason chuckled. He had been doing the same thing. Presently, a man in his late forties walked into the youth center. His gaze zeroed in on the petite brunette doing a routine on the balance beam. _She's wonderful_, he thought to himself as he made his way over to where she was. As he approached her, various people stopped and stared. They couldn't believe that someone of his caliber was actually here.

"Wow. Can you believe he's actually here?" a girl whispered. Seeing the man approaching his girlfriend, Tommy stopped sparring with Jason and stared at him.

"Jase, Bro, is that who I think it is?" Tommy questioned. Jason looked to where Tommy was looking.

"Whoa. That's Gunthar Schmidt," the Red Ranger breathed.

"Kim's gonna flip," Tommy whispered and Jason nodded in agreement. She sure would. She had wanted to meet the man ever since she was a little girl. Kimberly did a front flip off of the balancing beam.

"Your routine is quite impressive," the man said in a German accent.

"Oh, my gosh. You're Gunthar Schmidt," Kimberly gasped in surprise. _Oh, my gosh! I can't believe I'm actually meeting him!_ she thought to herself. Curious, the other Rangers and their friends walked up.

"Yes, I am," the man confirmed.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I'm-I'm Kimberly Hart," Kimberly introduced herself, holding out her hand.

"Very nice to meet you," Gunthar stated, shaking her hand. Then, "Where is your coach? I wish to discuss your training with him."

"I don't have a coach," Kimberly told him.

"No coach?" Gunthar repeated. _No coach? A performer of her caliber?_ he thought to himself.

"Not since I started high school," she answered.

"That is not right. Not right at all," he insisted. "Kimberly, I would be very willing to set aside some time to help prepare you for the Pan Globals," he continued. Kimberly's mouth dropped. _The-the Pan Globals? Me? Really?_ she thought. Though she had told Hilary that she was no longer interested in being an Olympian in the Pan Globals, which was still true, the idea of seeing if she **could** do it was still tempting.

"Uh…wow," she said, blowing out a breath. Gunthar watched her. _Oh, my. Did I surprise her too much?_ he wondered. That hadn't been his intention at all.

"You do not have to answer right away. Why don't you take some time and think about it, and then you can let me know either way?" he suggested, pulling out a card with his information and giving it to her.

"Oh, wow. Thank you," the girl said.

"Kimberly, no matter what your decision, I hope to hear from you," the man told her. Then, he walked out. On the moon, Rita laughed in delight.

"So, little Kimmie has a chance to leave the Rangers, does she?" Rita asked.

"Why don't you place a spell on her so that's all she thinks about?" Rito suggested.

"An interesting idea, but the other Rangers would become suspicious," Goldar disagreed as Scorpina walked in.

"Ah, Scorpina. How is Zedd?" Rita questioned.

"Resting comfortably, Empress," Scorpina answered and Rita cackled in delight. Everything was going according to plan.


	2. Indecision

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own subplots and characters you don't recognize. I use a line from the original ep. Reference to "On Fins And Needles".

After Coach Schmidt left, the other Rangers and their friends walked up to Kimberly.

"Wow, I can't believe you met Gunthar Schmidt," Tina breathed.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool," Aisha agreed.

"So, this is probably really exciting for you, huh?" Trini asked.

"I suppose," Kimberly said. Jason looked at her in surprise. Getting into the Olympics was her dream. Why wasn't she more excited?

"Uh, Kim, this news is most prodigious. Why are you not experiencing a feeling of jubilancy?" Billy wondered.

"I know I should be excited, but really, I'm not," Kimberly stated.

"Well, why not?" Zack wondered.

"It's just-it doesn't seem all that important anymore," Kimberly answered. And it wasn't. She had the best gig ever, how could being in the Olympics ever compare? She sighed. "Look, I know that seems really weird, but going to the Olympics just doesn't have the same appeal that it used to," she continued.

"Kim, are you just saying this because you think we expect you to?" Jason asked gently.

"Jase!" Tommy chided.

"No, he's got a point. If she thought someone would disapprove of an endeavor, she'd willingly give up whatever it is she desired to partake in," Billy answered.

"Jase, I know what you're thinking, and I promise you this is how I'm actually feeling," Kimberly stated.

"Should we tell Zordon about this?" Katherine asked.

"That's a good idea," Jason agreed. The Rangers went to the entrance of the youth center, looked around furtively, and then teleported to the Command Center.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi! Rangers, is something wrong?" Alpha wondered.

"No, but we **do** have something of importance to discuss," Billy replied.

"There's nothing to discuss," Kimberly protested.

"Kimberly, are you referring to the man that approached you in the youth center?" Alpha asked.

"Yes," Kimberly answered.

"We are aware of his offer, Kimberly," Zordon told her. "And though being a Power Ranger requires many sacrifices, it was never my intention to deprive any you of a lifetime opportunity such as this. If you desire to train for the Olympics, I will support you in your endeavor," he continued. Kimberly smiled.

"Thank you, Zordon, but the truth is, it just doesn't-it doesn't hold the same appeal as it used to," she told him.

"Doesn't hold the same appeal?" Alpha repeated. He and Zordon shared a knowing look. For the last three years as he and Zordon had watched the team, it had become obvious that gymnastics was a big part of the Pink Ranger's life. During her first year as a Ranger, they had even heard her mentioning that wanting to go to the Olympics. If something that had previously meant so much to her didn't seem important anymore, that could only mean one thing. But they had to be sure.

"Kimberly, how have you been feeling during battles?" Zordon asked.

"Energized, it's a rush. And when we get through eliminating a monster or stopping another one of Rita and Zedd's plan, it's satisfying," Kimberly answered.

"And what about your dream of being a famous Olympian? Do you still want to be a gymnast?" Zordon continued.

"It'd be cool, but it's really not as a big of a deal I used to think it was. I can't think of anything better than being a Power Ranger," Kimberly answered.

"Zordon, why all the questions?" Jason wondered. _Does he think there's something wrong? Or is the Power doing something to her?_ he asked himself.

"It would appear that Kimberly has made such a strong connection to the Power that anything else would appear pale in comparison," Zordon replied.

"You mean it's a part of her?" Rocky queried.

"Yes, Rocky. You all have a connection to your powers of course due to the Coins, but once in a while, a Ranger will connect to the grid so strongly that they can't even fathom doing anything else," Zordon answered.

"And Kim is **that** connected?" Tommy queried.

"It would appear so, Tommy," Zordon responded. "And given the way the rest of you have reacted to the Power, I would not be surprised if you reached the same connection level as Kimberly very soon," the wizard continued. The Rangers looked at each other in surprise. _Wow. That's pretty major_, Rocky thought to himself. On the moon, Rita quickly went into Finster's laboratory.

"Finster! I need a monster now! A fast and nasty one, but not the Slippery Shark! The Rangers would just destroy him," she stated. Finster quickly looked through his clay molds.

"I have just the perfect monster, My Queen," Finster announced a few moments later. He picked up the mold and put into the Monster-Matic. Rita cackled.

"That's what I like to hear, Finster! So, who is it?" she asked.

"In the book. Page 235," the dog-like monster replied. Rita picked up the book and quickly turned to the page. She laughed in delight when she saw the creature.

"Ah, yes! Speedtron! Incredibly fast with a poisonous sting as well as the ability to evaporate any body of water! I love it!" she approved. There was a blast and the creature landed on Earth by the Angel Grove Lake. In the Command Center, the alarm blared.


	3. Monster's Sting

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own subplots and characters you don't recognize. Reference to "On Fins And Needles". There are some lines from the episode that had the Shark Cycles' debut (though I can't remember which ep it was).

"What's going on?" Tommy asked.

"Rita's sent forth another monster!" Alpha exclaimed as the scene came up on the viewing globe.

"That's the lake," Trini noted.

"Who are we fighting this time?" Katherine wondered.

"It is Speedtron," Zordon answered.

"I take it his name means he's incredibly fast," Adam surmised.

"Not only that, but he can evaporate the Earth's water supply in a matter of seconds and also has quite a poisonous sting," Alpha added. Adam blinked as Speedtron ran to the other end of the lake in half a second.

"He's faster than the Slippery Shark!" Jason gasped. _This is not good! We could barely catch the Slippery Shark! There's no way we can catch this thing unless I used Lightning_, he thought to himself.

"Aw man, how do we catch something like that?" Tommy wondered.

"I could use Lightning," Jason offered.

"No. You wouldn't want him to get hurt," Katherine protested.

"Fear not, Rangers. Alpha and I have a surprise for you outside," Zordon stated. Confused, the teens looked at their mentor as the robot pressed a few buttons on the console and then headed out, his friends right behind them. To the Rangers' surprise, ten sleek motorcycles in each of their colors came roaring up.

"Whoa!" the Rangers breathed.

"These are your new Shark Cycles made from the technology of a prehistoric shark. They are lightning fast and can fire lasers at your opponents if needed," they heard Zordon say. _These are __**really**__ cool_, Tommy thought, his eyes glazing slightly as he stared at his green and white cycle. Seeing this, Jason bit down a chuckle as he elbowed his friend in the side. Tommy looked at Jason and shrugged, grinning sheepishly.

"All right, guys. Let's go fishing," Jason said.

"Yeah," the others agreed.

"It's morphin' time!" Jason shouted.

"Drago-Tigerzord!"

"Raptor!"

"Drago!"

"Stega!"

"Brachio!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!" As soon as they were morphed, the Rangers leapt onto their motorcycles and headed for the lake. When they got there, Speedtron had just drained the lake dry. With a low growl, the Brown Ranger pressed a button on her motorcycle's handle bars and a beam shot out at the monster and struck him, knocking him to the ground.

"Hey! What gives?" Speedtron shouted. Then, "Ah! Rangers!" Without warning, his fingers became claws that became detachable.

"WATCH IT!" the Rangers swerved in different directions as the claws came at them. The Red and Green and White Rangers pulled out their swords and deflected the blasts. The Pink Ranger pulled out her Power Bow and fired, only to have Speedtron duck out of the way as the arrow landed harmlessly in the sand. Speedtron laughed and detracted his claws again. This time, the Rangers were hit and cried out in pain as they tumbled from their bikes. _Man, it's like I'm on fire. I can't move_, the Red Ranger thought to himself. Speedtron laughed and advanced on the Rangers as they tried to rise to their feet. _Come on! Get up!_ the Purple Ranger encouraged herself. Speedtron shot at them again, resulting in pained cries as they were once again hit. On the moon, Rita laughed.

"YES! I LOVE IT! THE RANGERS ARE DOOMED!" she celebrated. "NOW TO CRUSH THEM! MAGIC WAND, MAKE MY MONSTER GROW!" The scepter came crashing down on the Earth. Electricity crackled and Speedtron roared as he felt himself become bigger. The Rangers looked at him in horror.

"This is not good," the Pink Ranger said. They all tried once again to rise to their feet, to no avail.


	4. Pink's Decision

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own subplots and characters you don't recognize. I use some lines from "A Different Shade Of Pink Part 3".

"We need Thunderzord Power now!" the Red Ranger shouted.

"Drago-Tigerzord!" the Green and White Ranger called.

"Raptor Thunderzord Power!" the Brown Ranger hailed.

"Mastodon-Lion Thunderzord Power!" the Black Ranger summoned.

"Pterodactyl-Firebird Thunderzord Power!" the Pink Ranger called.

"Drago Thunderzord Power!" the Silver Ranger yelled.

"Stega Thunderzord Power!" the Purple Ranger shouted.

"Brachio Thunderzord Power!" the Gold Ranger exclaimed.

"Triceratops-Unicorn Thunderzord Power!" the Blue Ranger chimed in.

"Saber-toothed Tiger-Griffin Thunderzord Power!" the Yellow Ranger piped up.

"Tyrannosaurus-Red Dragon Thunderzord Power!" the Red Ranger finished. The zords came forth with screeches and roars and the Rangers forced themselves to their feet and jumped into the zords.

"Everyone all right?" the Red Ranger asked in concern.

"Little drained, but we can do this," the Yellow Ranger answered.

"Yeah, let's fillet this thing," the Pink Ranger agreed. Speedtron charged at the zords, only to be blasted from multiple sides.

"Bring 'em together!" Instantly, the zords combined and they all faced the monster. Speedtron laughed. Stupid Rangers. Like they could actually defeat **him**? Empress would be so pleased with him when he destroyed them. From the moon, Rita laughed in delight as she and her minions watched the fight.

"Now this is how an evil plan is **supposed** to work!" she celebrated. _Soon, Speedtron will destroy the Rangers and I'll have the Earth and the rest of world all to myself_, she thought gleefully. _Maybe I should tell him to spare Tommy and Katherine. I could use some new servants_, her thought continued. Then, _Nah. I'll let him destroy them all_. Rita laughed again as she continued watch through the Repulsa-scope. Speedtron roared and threw his claws at the zords.

"We need Titanus and Thunderultrazord now!" the Red Ranger shouted. Instantly, the zord came with a loud roar. It shot at Speedtron in rapid succession before joining with the other Thunderzords. On the moon, Rita's eyes widened.

"The Thunderultrazord?" she asked. "DESTROY IT! DESTROY IT! DESTROY IT!" The Rangers braced themselves as Speedtron charged at them. Then, Titanus' eyes shone and he opened his mouth, ready to fire. As if sensing this, the Red Ranger punched in a command. Instantly, a volley of energy blasts shot from Titanus and enveloped Speedtron. Rita's eyes widened as the monster exploded.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She fumed. "I HAVE SUCH A HEADAAAAAAACHE!" Minutes later, the Rangers were back in the youth center.

"Man, we were-" Zack jumped through the air with a side kick. "BAM! Morphinominal," he finished as he and the other Rangers were joined by their friends.

"Zack, you were awesome," Angela said softly, putting her arms around his neck.

"Thanks, girl," Zack replied, wrapping her in a hug. Jason laughed.

"You'd think we went back to our first year as Rangers," he whispered to Katherine, who giggled.

"I have to admit, I'm still feeling pretty excited myself," she told him. Kimberly looked around the room, and not seeing who she was looking for, she walked up to Ernie.

"Hey, Ernie, have you seen Coach Schmidt?" she asked.

"Yeah, he had to run errand but said he'd be back soon because he wanted to talk to you," the man replied.

"All right, thanks," she responded. Then, she rejoined her friends.

"So you're looking for the coach?" Hilary asked.

"Yeah," Kimberly replied.

"So, what are you going to tell him?" Tina wondered. Kimberly was about to reply when the man walked back in. With a deep breath, she walked up to him.

"Oh, Kimberly. How good to see you," the man greeted. "May I assume by your approach you have an answer for me?" he continued.

"Yes," Kimberly answered. "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to say," she continued. The man nodded knowingly.

"Your answer is 'No'," he stated.

"Yes, my answer's 'No'," she confirmed. _That's too bad. It would've been wonderful to train her_, he thought.

"Though I am disappointed at the missed opportunity to train such a gifted athlete, I respect your decision and you luck in any future endeavors," the man told her.

"Thank you," she said and then walked back to the other Rangers and their friends.

"Well?" they all asked.

"I turned him down," she answered.

"What?" everyone except for Hilary chorused.

"Do you realize what you're giving up?" Billy questioned.

"I do. Oh, believe me, I do," Kimberly replied. "Going to the Olympics has been a dream of mine since I was little girl, and you all know that. But the truth is, I wouldn't give up being a Power Ranger for anything. It is way more important than being an Olympian. I made the right decision," she told them.

"Are you positive on this?" Jason checked. _I know how important going to the Olympics are to her. I want to make absolutely sure she's not just saying this because she thinks we're going to disapprove_, he thought. As if she knew what he was thinking, Kimberly smiled at him.

"I'm like, totally positive on this. I'm right where I belong," she assured.

"All right," Jason nodded. Tommy gave her a half hug and pulled her close.

"I'm glad you're staying, but if you had decided to go, I would've supported you," he told her.

"I know," she assured.

"You know, I'm curious," Justin stated.

"About what?" Kimberly wondered.

"If you **had** left, who would you have chosen as your successor?" Justin queried.

"Hilary," Kimberly answered promptly.

"Me? Really?" Hilary asked. _Wow! I didn't know I was considered Ranger material_, she thought to herself.

"Yeah! You'd make a great Ranger," Kimberly answered. Jason reared back arm and realizing what he was doing, the Rangers followed suit, though Katherine seemed a bit confused. Their friends watched in surprise as the Rangers pointed their arms down and then flexed. Katherine jumped at the small jolt of power that entered her while the others smiled at the familiar sensation.

"Power Rangers and friends," Jason said softly, putting his fist out. One-by-one, they put a hand on top of the fist

"Forever," they all chorused in the same tone.

THE END


End file.
